Package loading systems wherein a plurality of product or product containers are accumulated and then separated and/or transferred into a predetermined number for containment within a package assembly are known.
Such systems may utilize one or more conveyors, collators, transfer stations, etc., in order to organize and assembly package assemblies with a desired number of products therein.
For example: U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,844 is directed to a packaging machine used to wrap and package food products; U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,150 is directed to a collator for a food product packaging machine and its method of use; U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,756 is directed to a conveyor and converger suitable for use in a production line. The entire contents of each reference cited above is incorporated herein by reference.
Several factors limit the efficiency, speed, and general performance of such systems, such as, for example, the frictional interface between the individual product units and the various system surfaces particularly those that are moving, such as conveyors. Other limiting factors may include the shape of the product units, the desired configuration of the end package, the number of product units to be contained within the package, the variety of flavors or types of product to be contained within a given package, etc.
In light of the above, there is a need to provide a packaging system capable of accumulating, sorting and/or separating, transferring, and packaging a plurality of product units into distinct packages suitable for wholesale or retail display, at extremely high speeds. Desirably a system should be capable of efficiently organizing and packaging a high number product units regardless of their shape or size.
The present invention is directed to various embodiments of a system and it methods of use which meets such a need.
The art referred to and/or described above is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is “prior art” with respect to this invention. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 C.F.R. §1.56(a) exists.
All U.S. patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided as well only for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.